Hi everyone and Welcome back to the The Code of Style Magazine, and I’m delighted to share with you this post about “How to Get Fit in Just 12 Minutes a Day”, by the author of “The 12 Minute Athlete”, Krista Stryker.
Growing up, I thought the exercise gene had “skipped” me. I come from a fairly active family; my brother played college basketball, and my dad, who is currently seventy-one, has always been the most active person I know.
On the other hand, I begrudgingly played basketball and soccer in junior high and high school, and preferred sitting with a good book over doing anything that required moving my body. On top of that, I was awkward, uncoordinated, and so weak I could barely even hang from a pull-up bar, let alone do an actual pull-up.
So, it was a pretty unexpected turn when I decided to get my personal training certification in my early twenties.
I had just graduated from college and had no idea what to do with my life. I had managed to lose most of the freshman fifteen that I gained in college, but a pull-up, handstand, or even a few solid push-ups with good form was still out of the question for me. I still equated all cardio with running, which I hated, and hadn’t ever heard of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Fast-forward to a couple of years later: I was working as a personal trainer in New York City near the East Village. On most days I got up at 5 a.m. to train clients and stayed at the gym until 8 or 9 p.m. to train the after-work crowd. In between clients I’d hop on the treadmill, head to the weight room, then do even more cardio until my next client showed up. Or until I was so tired that I thought I might collapse.
During that time, I
suffered constant, nagging injuries. I was so exhausted and overtrained that I
had no energy for anything other than my daily grind. I had to eat so much to
keep my energy up, that I had trouble keeping lean.
And I still couldn’t do a pull-up.
It was after one of those injuries that I started experimenting with HIIT and bodyweight training. I was sick of spending so much of my day stuck in a gym and knew there had to be a more sustainable way to get—and stay—fit. My workouts went from two-plus hours a day to less than fifteen minutes most days. And as a natural result of the type of training I was doing, my equipment went from complicated machines at the gym to a few bars, a jump rope, and my own bodyweight.
The results from those workouts shocked even me. Not only did I have more energy, have fewer injuries, and more time in my day, I also started getting leaner, stronger, and fitter than I’d ever been. Before long, I was busting out pull-ups, triceps dips, and other exercises I’d thought were previously impossible. Since the workouts required so little space or equipment, I could do them in my tiny apartment, or go to an outdoor fitness park with my jump rope and use the pull-up bar, all while getting some fresh air.
Best of all, I had a lot more time on my hands—time to do the things that I really wanted to be doing with my day, including, yes, reading a good book.
Soon after, I created 12 Minute Athlete to share the incredible benefits of HIIT and bodyweight training with the world. I recently released my first book, The 12-Minute Athlete, where I share my best tips on how you can get fitter, faster, and stronger using HIIT and your own bodyweight, no matter where you’re starting from.
How to Get Fit in Less Time
Most health-conscious people are used to equating exercise with long and boring gym sessions that last at least an hour. As mentioned before, I used to be a part of this “long workouts are better” camp, too. Back then, I’d force myself to spend upward of two hours a day diligently getting in my cardio and strength training workouts, only to feel like it was never enough.
Thankfully, a growing body of scientific research makes it clear that longer workouts aren’t necessarily better. HIIT—a style of training that alternates short periods of working at nearly maximum ability with shorter periods of rest—is just as effective, if not more so than longer workouts.
And that’s what I focus on in The 12-Minute Athlete: HIIT and circuit-style workouts that will get you more bang for your buck than slogging on the elliptical machine for 45 minutes ever will.
The one catch to this type of training? It’s not easy. But as I like to tell people, you can do nearly anything for 12 minutes. Here’s how to get fit in just around 12 minutes a day.
Intensity is Key
As a general rule, the shorter the workout, the harder you need to work. If you’ve been exercising for a while, you probably already realize that what you get out of your workout is based on what you put into it. If you work hard and continuously push yourself slightly past your comfort zone, you’ll get stronger, fitter, faster, and become a better overall athlete.
If you’re working out at home, it can be hard to gauge whether you’re actually giving your workout your all or if you should be pushing a little harder. Here are a few different ways to make sure you’re putting the maximum intensity level into your workouts:
Start with the most difficult progression you can do. Whenever you’re doing high-intensity exercises and workouts like the ones in The 12-Minute Athlete, you should begin with the most challenging version of an exercise that you can currently do.
For example, if a workout includes push-ups and you can do at least two full push-ups with your hands on the floor—start with full push-ups. Don’t take the easier route and put your hands on an elevated surface just because you’re worried you’ll fatigue later in the workout. If you do fatigue and can no longer do an exercise with good form, then by all means, go to the previous progression of the exercise—but only after you fatigue. Starting out with the hardest version of the exercise will help you grow stronger, faster.
Minimize your rest times. We’ve all seen those people in the gym who spend most of their workout talking with their friends or checking out Instagram while “resting” in between sets. In reality this is mostly a waste of time, and leads to a long, inefficient workout.
The workouts in The 12-Minute Athlete are designed with minimal rest to keep them as efficient as possible. Most of the time an upper-body exercise is followed by a lower-body one (or a cardio exercise followed by a strength exercise, etc.) so that a specific part of your body can rest while another part of your body works hard. This allows for maximum efficiency, meaning you’ll get an entire workout done in less time.
That being said, if you do need a little extra rest, take it! Listen to your body and make sure to pay attention to form while continuing to challenge yourself.
Train Like I’m Right There With You. The main reasons people hire personal trainers are not that they couldn’t find a workout routine elsewhere, but for the motivation, consistency, and in-person pressure. This last piece of the puzzle requires you to work out like I’m right there next to you, cheering you on. This will help keep you honest with yourself and working as hard as you possibly can during every workout.
Wherever you’re at in your fitness journey, know that you can always make progress. Focus on consistency and keep challenging yourself to push past your comfort zone just a little more each time, and you’ll reach fitness levels you never before thought possible.
I hope you enjoyed this article on “How to get fit in Just 12 Minutes a Day”, by the author of “The 12 Minute Athlete” : Krista Stryker.
I’ll be back to share some more articles with you again soon!
Julia x ( Senior Editor)
Website: Style&ConfidencewithJulia : Instagram: @julia.rees_
Krista Stryker: 12 Minute Athlete | Author | Fitness Expert : Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Krista Stryker never felt like she was the athletic type. She eased her way into the fitness world, and eventually got her start as a personal trainer for a popular gym franchise in New York. Stryker would push herself day-in and day-out doing cardio, weight and sports-specific training until she was mentally and physically overtrained. Not content with the results she was getting, Stryker discovered High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Not only did she get fitter and leaner, but her strength and confidence levels skyrocketed. Before long, Stryker was achieving new heights in her physical training that she never thought possible. From burpees to push ups to pull ups, Stryker could do it all with her new physical capabilities and finesse. More importantly, she still had time and energy for sprints, hikes, and long runs.
After seeing her own personal successes, in 2012 she launched the 12 Minute Athlete blog with the goal to reach more people than one-on-one personal training could offer. She created the platform to help everyone, no matter their fitness level, reach new physical heights that she knows they are capable of. Stryker wanted to help eliminate excuses and make working out accessible, regardless of location or access to equipment. Excited to share her knowledge with a wider audience, she launched her popular 12 Minute Athlete app a year later.
Due to the success of the app, Stryker has been featured in popular publications such as Shape Magazine, Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, Muscle & Fitness HERS, Train for Her, Bodybuilding.com, The Washington Post, and has appeared on ESPN, KTLA, Good Day New York, and Sirius XM’s The Michael Yo Show just to name a few. She was also named one of Athleta’s 100 Women to Watch in Wellness.
You can find her on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter and you can view the official website and download the app here.
Things aren’t slowing down for Stryker. She can now add author to her list of accomplishments with the release of her book, The 12 Minute Athlete: Get Fitter, Faster, and Stronger Using HIIT and Your Bodyweight. The book chronicles the personal challenges she faced to reach her fitness goals and her realization that anyone can be an athlete. It offers a wide range of workouts and tips to stay in shape. The book is available online (click on the image below) or anywhere books are sold.
When she is not busy promoting her app or her book, Stryker craves adventure and loves to travel. Her passion for exploring has allowed her to live in places such as Boston and New York. She has also spent time abroad, where she traveled to amazing places like Lisbon, Barcelona, Amsterdam, and Brighton just to name a few. While on the go, she still makes time to train, using these beautiful destinations as her backdrop. Stryker currently resides in Los Angeles.
Photo Credits: Tamara Muth-King
